tonight on "nightline," what the pope knew. it's one of the most egregious cases of the sexual abuse in the catholic church. tonight, new questions are being raised about a power struggle inside the vatican, and the surprising role pope benedict may have played. plus, apple magic. ipad mania has gripped the globe, and all eyes are scarily on the next big thing. tonight, we get an exclusive sneak peek. so, is apple the smartest company in america? and, the palin effect. where she goes, crowds and controversy often follow. and soon, cameras will, too.

from fox to discovery, sarah palin is everywhere. is this a new path to the white house? >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, martin bashir and cynthia mcfadden in new york city, this is "nightline," march 31st, 2010. >> good evening. we begin tonight with renewed controversy facing the catholic church. no pope has resigned his position since the 15th century. but if some critics have their way, that's exactly what the pope would do. this holy week has seen him defending the vatican and himself against allegations that he knew about and failed to act on sexual abuse by priests years ago. but in one major scandal, his role may have been far more complicated than that, as our chief investigative correspondent brian ross reports. brian? >> reporter: cynthia, with growing questions about the role

of pope benbenedict, there is n attention to his handling of probably the most e agree jous, notorious case of them all, involving a priest with powerful connections inside the vatican, who was also a drug addict and a pedophile. for years, despite repeated allegations that the father sexual by abused young men, poem john paul ii continued to call him an important leader of catholic youth. >> he was a revered figure in the vatican. he also had the advantage of being the greatest fund-raiser of the modern church. >> reporter: the father was the founder of a little known but well financed catholic order called the leon their reaps of christ. >> he used money the way some politicians do in spreading it liberally to buy support, both for himself and his religious order. >> reporter: jason barry first broke the story of the father in

1997, and has tracked what he says is a decades long trail of cash and gifts to top vatican officials from the father. >> i think in hindsight, it's clear that he was trying to protect himself and so he lavished gifts, generous expensive gifts on many members. and on top of that, he made a point of cultivating friendships with these men. >> reporter: and as a result, when the vatican received allegations against the father, it touched off what appears to have been a high level power struggle between the vatican secretary of state and then cardinal joseph ratzinger, now pope benedict. the father's group, now operating in the united states and 23 other countries, with its well manicured headquarters in rome.

it was here that the father was alleged to have molested some of the young men under his control as seminarniaseminarians, going decades. >> i didn't know anything about masturbation. and he says, you know how to do it, let me show you. >> reporter: juan, a former priest in his 70s, and living in new york as a college professor, says he was one of some 30 boys abused by the father. >> i was one who called them from their bedrooms to go to see the father. >> reporter: juan says the father rewarded him with special privileges, such as this pry vat meeting with pope pius xii and assured him he was doing nothing wrong. >> but father, i think i committed a sin. don't worry, i about solve you of your sin in the name of the father, the son and holy spirit. >> reporter: it was in 1998 that

juan wand err former members filed a formal league case with the vatican, asking for an investigation. but for years, nothing happened. >> absolutely nothing. not a word. >> reporter: the man in charge of investigating with the then cardinal ritzi iratzinger. >> i wanted to ask you a question about father -- >> no, i -- >> reporter: he became up set when i tried to ask him about the case in 2002, and slapped my hand. a question if you -- >> come to me when -- >> reporter: excuse me. >> when the moment is given, but not yet. >> reporter: we tried to ask you questi questions. behind ratzinger's reaction, says jason barry, was the effort of the vatican's secretary of state to protect the father. >> and ratzinger basically got the message, do not go after this man. >> reporter: barry says both pope john paul ii and the

vatican secretary of state emerged as the father's protectors. >> it is strikingly clear that john paul ii did not want to investiga investigate, and sedono was clearly the man who enforced that message to ratzinger. >> reporter: pope john paul ii's close relationship with the group and the father was no secret. he appeared in public frequently with the father, before and after the allegations of sexual abuse became public. including this scene in barry's documentary, "vows of silence." barry says cardinal ratzinger became increasingly convinced that the case was turning into a huge labiability for the vatica. >> i think ratzinger figured he had to do something on his own. so, he broke ranks with the pope and ordered an investigation of

the father by a lawyer on his staff. >> reporter: a year after he began the investigation, cardinal ratzinger has become pope benedict, and a year later, he forced the father out of his group and into retirement, though he did not defrock him, strip him on his priestly powers. >> in the end, it was ratzinger who took it on himself to investigate him and despite mistakes that ratzinger made in other cases, i think it is fair to say in the full light of history, that he began to recognize the severity of this crisis. did he go far enough? no. he should have excommunicated the father and should have immediately reigned in the legion of christ. >> reporter: the father died in 2008, and since then, more of the details of his sordid double life have become known. he fathered a daughter with one of his mistresses in mexico. two men have gone public on a

mexican radio station to claim they are the sons of the father. one claiming he was actually sexual by abused by his father. the priest at the legion of christ, who once followed and defended the father so blindly, now acknowledged they were wrong. >> i was like, you find out that your dad had been, you know, sleeping around with women the whole time you were growing up. that's what it felt like. you felt completely bestrayed an shocked. i went to the chapel and prayed. how can this be true? >> reporter: the order said that the father is in heaven. do you believe that? >> uh -- we entrust the father and all those who died to the mercy of god. good thing i'm not in the judgment seat. >> reporter: pope benedict has one last big decision to make about the legion of christ, whether to disband the order altogether.

a vatican spokesperson said a decision on that is expected in the coming months. >> his entire background is that of a moral absolutist. he's basically a fundamentalist. if he followed his instincts and starts punishing, taking down the cardinals and bishops who covered up and disbands the legion of christ, he can restore the integrity of his image, of his office, of the papacy. er think he has the capacity to do that. but it would be a very brave step, indeed, for him to make. >> reporter: all of this is being closely followed by the men who came forward to make the allegations against the father more than ten years ago. and were branded liars and traitors for their trouble. in response to questions from "nightline," a vatican official said only that the feate of the order will be decided at the end of april, with a full investigation of the father and

how he was able to get away with this double life for so long. cynthia? >> thank you, brian. fascinating new insights. when we come back, from a matter of faith to a new gizmo that already has millions of believers. the ipad hits stores in less than 72 hours. why wait? and exclusive sneak peek is coming right up. hi, we're the campbells. here's what we can do with 4g from sprint. using the overdrive 4g mobile hotspot, jimmy's playing some video game online, jenny's video-chatting with a friend, and i'm downloading a huge presentation. and while that's happening, we'll enjoy some family time. [ computer beeps ] that was good. what can you do with 4g? [ male announcer ] experience 4g from sprint. it's more than a wireless network. deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilities, it's a wireless revolution. access www.sprintrelay.com. it's more than a wireless network. deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilities, he's trying to beat my record.

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and we turn now to technology, and what some people say is the smartest, coolest

company in america. and it seems that company may have done it again. this time, with the ipad. even if you're a pc, you've likely heard all the mac buzz. is the company really as good as its fans claim? well, neal karlinsky asked the question, while getting an exclusive sneak peek. >> reporter: you've never touched i, you don't know anyone who's ever used it, you can't go see it in a store. and yet, you, millions of you, want to spend a minimum of $500 to buy it. >> we think we got the goods. >> reporter: it is the ipad, and when apple invited us for an exclusive to spend the day with an ipad, they carried it around in a padded black briefcase that they didn't want anyone to see. it was like the secret launch codes for the nation's nukes. >> apple unveiled its new ipad this week. >> launch is just a few days away. >> it's apple, it looks sexy and cool and fit.

>> will it give the others a run for its money? >> can this live up to the hype? >> reporter: hype is hardly a big enough word for what apple has done with this product and others before it. they've reinvented the phone. reinvented music and mobile competing. and they've now created a device we didn't know we wanted or needed until they told us. some analysts believe apple just may be the smartest company in america. are we all just drinking the apple kool-aid, or is there more to it? we put the question to three experts. a style snob, a gadget geek and a marketing maven. first up, stylist robert. >> from a style standpoint, it's clean and simple and easy. you know, you look at it and it feels organized. there's something methodical and calming about it. it feels like a good friend feels. >> reporter: he says apple has turned clunky technology into such elegant designs, they've

become fashion accessories. >> i'm sure come next fashion week in new york in september the entire front row will be riddled with the most popular and famous and fabulous editors from the international press corps sitting there with ipads on their laps. >> reporter: of course, the cool factor of the products wouldn't count for much if they didn't work. "wired" magazines nick thompson. >> they have made these objects so beautiful, and everybody wants an ipod or iphone or perhaps an ipad. what they've done is, by making devices that work really well, they' they appeal to people that like good technology. >> reporter: and that's the key. not only do reviewers rate apple products highly, but the company consistently innovates in ways that take technology in a new direction. rather than simply modifies what's already out there. >> apple is a benevolent dictatorship. they are run by people who are fierce, who lock people in rooms

and say, you need to get this done and do it my way. >> it was one of those days. >> reporter: the functions are woven in with apple's unorthodox marketing. advertising guru barbara. >> the advertising has been about the fact that apple is beautiful and just a little cooler than you are. >> reporter: the apple way is hardly for everyone. they are among the most secretive companies in the world. apple chief steve jobs lets his presentations do the talking. they're about the only time you ever see him. we interviewed him briefly twice in the last three years, but before that, we hadn't sat down for an interview with abc news since the early '90s, and he's not taking elsewhere, either. >> steve jobs is incredibly skillful about being secretive, and yet building demand at the same time. so that, you know, people are gasping and desperate to find out what they're going to release this year. >> reporter: the secrecy extends

to the cheap's partners the people who have created everything from bee yan knows for the ipad to all kinds of games. the ceo of one of the best-receiving iphone apps can't get his hands on an ipad despite his company is developing new games for it. have you touched an ipad yet? >> i've ordered one. >> reporter: he's not alone. the company is rolling out an ibooks store, along with its ipad to reinvent the publishing world, the same way itunes retooled music. analysts believe there will be an apple tv and a way to buy all your favorite programs from them, rather than from a cable or satellite provider. >> in the future, apple will own a lot of what we do, control the way content is presented on our devices but not going to dominate everything. they have enough tough competitors. >> reporter: whatever our three gurus think, wall street sends a

winner, sending apple stocks to new highs this week. ♪ >> hello, i'm a mac. >> and i'm a pc. >> reporter: apple's methods may be unusual, but the results are unmatched. as thousands line up to buy an ipad this weekend, the next question for this company is inevitab inevitable. what's next? i'm neal karlinsky in los angeles. >> among those counting the moments until the ipad's released? my 11-year-old. i tell him, second generation. when we come back, from technology to taste. the flavors of italy get the royal treatment in tonight's the flavors of italy get the royal treatment in tonight's "plate list." family cars of 2009."t the insurance institute for highway safety calls it a "2010 top safety pick." consumers digest has called it a "best buy" two years in a row. and with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty... we call it peace of mind. chevy malibu. now qualified lessees get a low mileage lease on this 2010

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with sit ya mcfadden. >> time for food, and an italian chef that brings a rustic touch to sophisticated dishes right here in new york city. and is often the case, food and family go hand in hand, as marco canora explains in tonight's "plate list." >> to this day, i remember, like, being in the grocery store, begging and crying and asking my mom to buy me, like, cocoa puffs, you know, and she wouldn't do it, and i hated her then for it but i look back at it now and i'm incredibly grateful that i didn't grow up on junky processed food. this is minced carrots, celery

and onion cooked until it is a golden brown. the rabbit. the tomato. the olives go in. and then you want to bruise the rose mary real well to let some of those really flavorful oils come out. while that gets hot, we're going to drop this pasta into the boiling water. and then we have the liquid that we cooked the rabbit in. you want to cook the noodles in the sauce. that really imparts flavor into the noodles. so, we're going to toss it around a little bit. cheese. and a tiny knob of butter. i wish you could taste it, because it is super tasty. delish. my first exposure toless raunlts was in high school. i was a dishwasher in upstate new york, a restaurant that served continental cuisine. being exposed to that kind of culture sucked me in. from that first job as a dishwasher, you know, wrapping a plastic bag around me on a saturday night so i wasn't

drenched, you know, i loved it. it was so energizing. one thing that i've always been somewhat frustrated with about this business is how fleeting it is, right? i think about a musician who cuts a record and he puts in his heart and soul for a year, two years, and he makes this record and then that record just exists forever. like, i wish i could do a seven-course meal and some how encapsulate it in time and be able to sell that, you know, like, prepared already. so, the first thing you do is, we're going to get the fish in the hochb. skin side down. we're going to drop this into an oven. this is a black cabbage with chick peas and salt cod. yum. my favorite junk food has always

been and continues to be uniced blueberry pop tarts. you pop those into a toaster and get them warm with a cold glass of milk, i think they're perfect. and i'm on a mission to recreate them in the pastry department. i completely embrace them an enjoy every second without guilt. i put some smoked garlic in there. for a garnish, we peel the chick paps and we take the skins and we fry them. so, the cod's done. i like to finish wit a little lemon. this goes down, then the ragu. this eats like no other fish dish. people think chefs are rock stars and it's like -- holy god, it's like, i am not a rock star. and i am not fabulous. and i don't live a, you know, a celebrity type rock star life at

all. it's grueling and it's hot and it's often times miserable and stre stressful. i love what i do, and i feel lucky that i love what i do. >> indeed. sure looks good. and let's hear it for the blueberry pop tart. we'll be right back with a look at sarah palin's future in tonight's closing argueth, but first, jimmy kimmel with what's coming up next on abc. >> jimmy: tonight, tom arnold is here, greg that gerwig, music from mat tis ya hue, and if you need a plan to do something terrible on april fools', i'll help you. [ male announcer ] how do the editors of consumers digest determine if a car is a best buy? first they drive it in the real world. and put it through its paces. they rate its fit and finish. and the amenities inside. they factor in purchase price and operating costs, fuel economy and resale value. in short, they do what you do to test its quality.

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